BCL men lock IU offices, main entrance

Academic and administrative activities at Islamic University (IU) in Kushtia have remained stalled after a group of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists, also former students of the university, locked its offices on Monday.

The BCL men also kept the institution's main gate closed since early morning yesterday, preventing vehicles from entering the campus.

No class and examination were held there yesterday.

Around 40/50 former activists of BCL led by Asiqur Rahman Japan, former vice president of the IU unit of BCL, Touhidur Rahman Hitlar, former organising secretary of the unit, and Mohammad Ali Shimul took position in front of the administrative building and different academic buildings, campus sources said.

Asiqur Rahman Japan and Mohammad Ali Shimul passed from the university four years ago and Touhidur Rahman Hitlar passed five years ago.

A number of IU teachers and officials gathered at different locations of Kushtia and Jhenidah towns but they could not go to the campus as no transport of the university moved from its temporary depot at Customs intersection in Kushtia town yesterday, said official sources of the university.

"We dared not start the buses as the BCL men threatened to set the vehicles afire if there is any attempt to move," said a driver of the university, seeking anonymity.

The former BCL activists are demanding that the university authorities create posts for their recruitment, campus sources said, adding that during the last three years, the jobseekers went into agitation 6/7 times, creating deadlock at the university.

"A group of former students, who completed study 4/5 years ago, are still demanding that the university authorities provide them with jobs of different administrative posts. Their agitation is creating troubles for smooth academic activities at the university," said IU Vice Chancellor Abdul Hakim Sarker.

"I have informed the higher authorities of the matter," he said.

Contacted, Asiqur Rahman Japan, one of the alleged jobseekers, claimed that their movement is also against corruption of the present administration of the university.